Slice
by Kalvin4444
Summary: Mitch observes that Seto has been acting strangely and decides to find out why. The reason will have a profound effect on his life. Oneshot. (tw: self-harm)


**For those of you who are coming from the TC website, here it is again:**

**Trigger warning: self-harm**

**Anyway, welcome to my first oneshot, _Slice_. I'm going to be away for the next week, and I won't be able to update _Ripples_. This is to make up for it. I'll write it while I'm away and hopefully it will be up when I get back.**

**The idea from this came from a prompt on the TC website. The original prompt is from hmciara: "One of the members sees your self-harming scars and comforts you." I changed it slightly because I don't like putting myself (or OCs in general) into stories, because of the risk of it/me becoming a Mary-Sue.**

**First, some business to be taken care of: this takes place within Minecraft.  
**

**I don't own any YouTubers in this story. This is NOT based off of anything in real life, so do not treat this as fact. This is fan fiction, 'fiction' being the operative word.**

**This story contains a ship: Bajansorcerer. If you're going to hate because of that, please go away.**

**One more thing: I am _not_ trying to romanticize self-harm. Cutting is not glamorous. There is most likely not someone out there who will kiss your scars and make it all better in a matter of minutes, despite what some writers might want you to believe. Take it from a former cutter: IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY. Recovery takes time, and there will be relapses, near-relapses, or both.  
**

**If you self-harm in real life, _get help. I CANNOT EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH_. _"HELP" DOES NOT MEAN __COMPLAINING TO YOUR INTERNET FRIENDS ON TUMBLR OR WHATEVER. GET PROFESSIONAL HELP. YOUR INTERNET/IRL FRIENDS, WHILE THEY MAY HELP, ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR ACTUAL THERAPY. SELF-HARM IS NOT THE KIND OF THING THAT CAN BE HANDLED ONLINE._**

**Anyway, enjoy the story! Once again, positive feedback and constructive criticism are highly appreciated, and _please_ tell me if I'm being insensitive in my portrayal of self-harm.**

* * *

When Mitch arrived at the Nexus hub, he was relieved to find that the air-conditioning was in working order. It was sweltering outside—ninety degrees in the shade.

"Hot today, isn't it?" said Preston, who had appeared beside him.

"_You_ think it's hot?" Jerome said incredulously on Mitch's left. "You're a lava monster! I have fur! Imagine going around in this weather in a fur coat that covers your entire body! Mitch, who are we waiting on?"

"Seto," Mitch said. "Where is—oh, here he comes now."

"I'm here, I'm here!" Seto called from across the hub. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting."

"Seto, it's like a million degrees outside," Jerome said. "And you're wearing a sweatshirt."

"Yeah, so?"

"Don't you think you might be a little bit hot in that?" Mitch asked. "I mea don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Seto laughed. It sounded more forced than usual. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine!"

"You sure?" Mitch pressed. "I'd hate for anything to happen to you."

"Yes, I'm sure." Seto let out an exasperated sigh. "Now come on, you guys! We have a Hunger Games to record!"

"Well, okay then, if you say so..." Mitch trailed off.

* * *

Seto whooped triumphantly as the four of them materialized in the Nexus hub.

"See? I _told _you I would be fine!" he said to Mitch as he adjusted his sleeve. "I even won!"

"That's great!" Mitch replied with a grin. "But be careful later. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you later because of the heat. Be sure to drink lots of water-"

"Yes, Mother," Seto sighed with an over-exaggerated eye roll. "See you all later!"

And he was gone, probably having used his magic to warp back to his library. Mitch stared at the spot that Seto had stood.

"What's with him?" he asked Jerome.

"What do you mean?"

"He's been really evasive," Mitch said. "At least when it comes to what he's wearing. Didn't you notice? Whenever I brought up how the heat might be a problem, he kept changing the subject."

"He's probably fine," Jerome said dismissively. "Just give him some time. He'll come around."

And even as he left, Mitch was left with a lingering feeling of uneasiness. Seto was definitely hiding something.

* * *

"Okay, three...two...one...hey guys, Sky here, and welcome to a Minecraft modded Battle Dome! I'm here today with Mitch, Seto, Ty, Brotato, the fluffy, Bashur, and Kyle! What mod are we playing today...MITCH!"

"Today, we're going to playing the Mutant Creatures mod!" Mitch replied, trying to sound as hammy as possible. "There's going to be spawn eggs hidden in chests throughout the map and I'M SCARED!"

Adam went over the technical stuff and they picked teams. Mitch made sure to get Seto on his team (he was wearing a sweatshirt, again) and the game began.

When it was over with a "thanks for watching, I'm Sky, and I will see you later," Seto got up and went to leave. Mitch stopped him.

"I'll walk you," he offered. "Is that okay?"

"Mitch, you don't have to," Seto said, turning to leave. "I'm fine. And I'm sure it's out of your way, anyway."

"No, it's not," Mitch said. And it wasn't. "I don't want you to be lonely."

"Okay, if you want," Seto said with a hint of reluctance. "Let's go."

The two exchanged few words as they went. It was only when they arrived at Seto's house did Mitch actually address his concerns.

"Seto, listen," he began. "You haven't been yourself lately. You keep wearing long sleeves in hot weather, and then when someone asks about it, you act all evasive. What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Seto replied hastily. "Nothing's wrong! It's just that...I haven't done my laundry!"

"You're usually so on top of these things," Mitch commented. "What happened?"

"Look, I really have to go edit this footage," Seto said.

"Seto, I'm worried! You're acting really weird!"

"Don't you have someplace to be?"

"Just tell me what's wrong!"

"You want to see what's wrong?" Seto snapped with much more volume than Mitch expected. "You want to see why I haven't been myself? Here!"

He violently pulled up his sleeve. Mitch couldn't do much other than stare.

Dozens of cuts in various stages of healing were etched into the skin up and down Seto's arm. Some were fresh, the skin around them red and inflamed. Others were little more than small pink scars.

"There," he said, his voice quavering slightly. "There. Now you...now you know."

He leaned against the wall and cried.

"It's okay," Mitch said, wrapping his arm around Seto's shaking shoulders. "Seto, did you do this?"

A nod from his friend said it all.

"Why?"

"The haters," he said. "There's just been so much hate on my channel. I don't think they understand how much I put into making videos. When I cut, I can express what I feel, and then I feel better for a little bit."

"Seto, it's okay to be sad," Mitch said. "But I think you're going about expressing what you feel the wrong way. If the cutting isn't curbed, it'll cause bigger problems. What if the cuts got infected? You need help, and there is help for you. We can go through this together. It'll be okay."

"Just...don't tell, okay?" Seto said, his voice more steady. "It's kind of embarrassing, and..."

Mitch wrapped his arms around Seto and let him cry. "I promise. No one has to know."

* * *

Seto's first therapy session was two weeks later. Mitch called to see how it went.

Seto answered at the first ring with a "hi, Mitch!" and a lilt in his voice that Mitch had all but forgotten.

"How was therapy?"

"Good," Seto said. "She was nice. I told her about what was happening, and she gave me some ways to deal with it."

"Such as...?" Mitch prompted.

"One thing she said was to not read the comments on my videos, because that seemed to be the root of my problem," Seto said. "She also said that whenever I felt like cutting, I should do something else to express how I feel without hurting myself."

"You play violin, right?" Mitch said. "That's an option."

"So is the Hunger Games," Seto said. "We could do that together!"

"Yes, there is nothing quite like killing people with your friends to relieve emotional pain," Mitch replied. Seto laughed.

"Anyway, I'll talk to you later; I have a video to record with Jerome. See you later!"

"Bye!"

* * *

Two months.

Two months had gone by, and Mitch had seen a change in Seto. He was a lot happier, acting more energetic and lively in his Minecraft videos.

And then it all broke down.

"Seto? Where are you?" Mitch called nervously as he entered the sorcerer's house to get him for a recording session. "Seto? You in here?"

And then he heard it. The sobs. Coming from the upstairs bathroom.

Mitch cursed. And then he flew up the stairs and into the bathroom. His eyes widened with horror.

A bloody razor, discarded on the floor, said it all. Blood was strewn across the quartz tile.

And Seto.

He was curled up in the corner, his face buried in his hands while crimson tears dripped from cuts up and down his lower arms.

"Holy crap, Seto, what happened?"

Seto's outburst was so sudden and so unexpected that Mitch had no choice but to take a step back.

"I know, I know! I relapsed! And I'm _sorry_!" Seto screamed. "I'm sorry..."

"Seto, tell me what happened, and I'll get you cleaned up," Mitch said, helping him to his feet. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No! I don't need the hospital. They're not that deep. I just need to get some bandages for these cuts."

As Mitch bandaged Seto's arms and wrists, he told the story.

"Well, I was feeling kind of bad that I wasn't reading the comments on my videos. I usually do that, you know, so that I can be more interactive with my fanbase," Seto explained. "There were just so many hate comments...I couldn't take it anymore..."

Mitch squeezed his hand. "People can really be cruel, can't they?"

Seto nodded.

"Listen, I'm going to stay with you for the night, so you don't hurt yourself. I would hate myself forever if I lost you to a blade and some lowlifes on YouTube."

Seto nodded.

"Let's get you to bed. You'll feel better after a night of sleep."

"Well, okay, just as long as you don't act like a pervert and watch me sleep."

Mitch grinned slightly, despite the circumstances.

"You go to sleep, I'll go clean up."

* * *

Seto answered at the fourth ring when Mitch called him. "Hello again, Mitch."

"Hey, Seto, how are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling fine, thanks for asking. Just like I was feeling fine two hours ago when you called. And when you called this morning. And-"

"I'm worried about you! Wouldn't you be worried if you found your friend bleeding out on the floor?"

"Yes, but I don't need you calling me at all hours of the day! I'm not a child, Mitch! I can function perfectly fine!"

"Seto, I'd never forgive myself if you went and hurt yourself again!"

"Can you just not be an obsessive control freak and let me live my life?" Seto spat, the venom evident in his voice.

Rage blazed within Mitch, and he retaliated, "Well at least I don't slice myself open because I can't take criticism!"

He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Seto was silent for a few seconds, and then sputtered, "you-you-you take that back!"

But it was Mitch's turn to be silent as he ruminated on what he had done and what to do next.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm just worried because..."

Confession time.

"...because I love you."

There. It was out in the open now. It was Seto's move now.

"What?"

"I love you, Seto. It would kill me to lose you. I need you, Seto. And I know that's not an excuse for how I've been acting, and I'm sorry for being a control freak. I just don't want anything to happen to you. I would never forgive myself if it did."

He waited. And waited. And then Seto replied:

"I love you, too."

* * *

Mitch turned on the mike and prepared to begin recording.

"Three, two, one. Hey, Seto! Happy anniversary and congratulations on one million subscribers! After all you've been through, I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. You've been through so much, and it's kind of mind-blowing to see how far you've come in a year. Once again, a big congratulations on the one million. Love you."

He shut off the mike.

"Hey, thanks!"

Mitch turned and grinned when he saw Seto behind him, smiling and wearing a t-shirt that exposed his scars.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! Remember, please leave a review; they are greatly appreciated! Also, if I could make any improvements to my portrayal of self-harm, please let me know.**

**Once again, cutting is not glamorous. If you self-harm, get help. For a self-harm hotline, you can call 1-800-DONT CUT.**


End file.
